Before There Was Braveheart

Chapter XVIII: The Foreigner

The party surrounded the mage, trying to comfort them, all except Dom.

The assassin froze in place, not able to move a muscle as a terrible realisation hit him.

All this time, his target was right in front of his eyes.

His heart sank as he watched his party members hug the mage as they mourned the loss of their master.

But Dom didn't join them, he didn't have the guts to do so.

And so, he could only watch with a pained expression, reflected in his eyes.

Soon enough, they left the ruins of Rae's childhood home to set up camp for the night.

The smoke from the fire had completely dissolved as the sun lowered itself from the horizon, leaving a sorrowful essence to linger in the air.

The night grew cold, and while everyone was gathered around the small fire Jaxon managed to conjure, no one dared to utter a single word. The five of them ate their dinner in silence, giving time for the mage to process their grief and swallow the truth of their identity.

Once the moon had placed itself on the highest point in the sky, few of the party members had fallen asleep. Johann and Jaxon were huddled inside of their tent, while Maxwell was found snoring in his own.

Rae curled up in front of the fireplace, wrapping Milfred's robe around them as they stared into the fire with an empty gaze. Their head swirled with voices of doubt, anger, mournfulness, even fear. Their portion of food remained untouched, hanging loosely from their hand.

Dom, who was sharpening his daggers, sat across from the mage without daring to look at them in the eye. Although he wished he could help comfort the mage, he didn't know what to do. He needed his own space to think about his mission.

What should he do now? Should he send a letter to his commissioner? Should he try and comfort the mage? Or should he just kill them right here, right now?

He shook his head; whatever happens, he mustn't let his emotions drive him away from his goal.

For now, he should pay attention to the present.

He put away his daggers before taking a good look at the mage. Their eyes seemed soulless, their face pale. Dom couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"Rae," their name unexpectedly came out of Dom's lips.

The mage switched their focus from the fire to Dom's greyish eyes. The assassin was slightly taken aback.

"I..."

He sighed.

"Sorry, I don't know what to say," Dom admitted, "Is there...is there anything I can help you with? Or...you want to talk about what happened?"

Rae looked away; their hands clutched onto their master's robe tightly.

They let out a sigh.

"I'm just...confused," they finally spoke, "Why didn't Milfred tell me sooner? And why...why was he..."

Tears began to well up in their eyes.

"I don't understand why he had to die..."

Dom's hand instinctively reached out towards them, but once he realised what he was doing he quickly held himself back.

Rae's quiet sobs filled the silence. They tried to calm themselves down, however, by trying to control their breathing. They didn't want Dom to see them cry.

"S-Sorry, it's just," Rae croaked as they wiped their tears, "He was like a father to me. I suppose he was the only father I knew."

They took a deep breath.

"All this time I felt like I didn't belong in this world. Besides, I'm an orphan, and Milfred was the only one I had in my life."

They shifted slightly in their seat.

"When I left the cottage to venture out into the world, I realised that a lot of people thought I was weird," they continued, "I was raised in the middle of the woods, with almost no sign of civilization. I get why they thought I was a foreigner. But Milfred never thought my habits or interests were odd, he was the only one who understood me, though I suppose it was because he was my caretaker and mentor at the same time."

They let out a small chuckle.

"And now he's gone..."

A stifled sob escaped their lips.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" they asked, "Where am I supposed to go?"

A sinking feeling in Dom's chest caught him by surprise. He knew what he had to do, but did he have the heart to act on it?

"Perhaps...we should look for answers."

Rae focused their gaze on Dom once more, awaiting his suggestion.

"You're a Fairbourne, right?" he continued, "That means you are of royal blood. And if you're of royal blood, that means the Crown Ruler..."

"...is my relative," Rae finished his sentence, "Are you implying that we should travel to the capital and seek audience with the Crown Ruler?"

Dom nodded.

"Maybe he has an idea about who burnt down your home, and maybe this is a chance for you to reconnect with your family."

Rae doesn't seem convinced.

"I don't know...what if he doesn't believe me?"

"I'm sure he will," Dom answered, "You have Milfred's robe, it should be enough proof right?"

Rae lowered their gaze.

"Just think about it, alright?" Dom said with a small smile, "Whatever happens, you'll always have a place in this world, with us."

A blush formed on his cheeks.

"...with me."

Rae had calmed down from Dom's assurance, and they looked at him with eyes filled with affection.

"Thank you, Dom, I..."

A soft smile appeared on their face.

"I appreciate it.

Dom awoke just in time to watch dawn approaching.

He realised, however, that he wasn't in the tent he was supposed to share with Maxwell. Instead, he was outside, curled up beside the remains of the fireplace.

As he sat up straight, a long scarlet cloak fell to the ground.

Confused, he picked it up.

Isn't this...?

His eyes drifted towards the figure slouching against a nearby tree.

The mage had fallen asleep outside as well, their master's robe wrapped around them like a blanket. A few strands of their black hair managed to drop down to their face. They were slightly shivering, for the morning air was quite chilling.

Dom smiled apologetically; it looked like Rae gave him their cloak to stop him from suffering the same fate.

He stood up and walked towards the mage, giving back their cloak to warm them up a little bit. He brushed the strands of hair on their face as his expression slightly fell, realising the horrid deed he would have to do eventually.

I'm so sorry, Princess.